Thanks for the advice, Kyarazen. I'll follow your recommendation.
BTW, did you know the Lao Ku Ye is 30-40 years old........
Shipping was quite reasonable, or 30 SGD.
Man, I can't wait to get started.....
Re: Dancong
Brewed one of the two free samples I got. It said Dan Cong Tea Head on the bag and Julie explained what it was.
''Tea Head (this is a direct translation for the Chinese words - Cha Tuo) is exactly the selected odd and end of the tea leaves (eg: stalks and poorly form leaves) which normally used to brew big pot tea for corporate workers or bulk drinking. But we have here is selected from several premium grade of tea leave that still offer a very good brew after heavy roasting. As it consist of mainly stalks, it not long lasting in the brewing (probably about 6 - 7 brews) and can allow the brew to sit for couple of minutes to enhance the fragrance.''
I was very curious about this tea so I brewed it today in my 100 ml gaiwan. Off the boil water with short infusions. If I didn't know that this vendor is a Dan Cong specialist, I could have sworn this was a yancha. Robust, very tannic but not unpleasantly so, masculine with very pronounced yan yun with exotic fruits lingering in the background. All in all a interesting experience.
''Tea Head (this is a direct translation for the Chinese words - Cha Tuo) is exactly the selected odd and end of the tea leaves (eg: stalks and poorly form leaves) which normally used to brew big pot tea for corporate workers or bulk drinking. But we have here is selected from several premium grade of tea leave that still offer a very good brew after heavy roasting. As it consist of mainly stalks, it not long lasting in the brewing (probably about 6 - 7 brews) and can allow the brew to sit for couple of minutes to enhance the fragrance.''
I was very curious about this tea so I brewed it today in my 100 ml gaiwan. Off the boil water with short infusions. If I didn't know that this vendor is a Dan Cong specialist, I could have sworn this was a yancha. Robust, very tannic but not unpleasantly so, masculine with very pronounced yan yun with exotic fruits lingering in the background. All in all a interesting experience.
Re: Dancong
Most of them.bagua7 wrote:Tea Hong Dan Congs...are there any greener types you'd recommend me?
Cheers!
Re: Dancong
OK, so:
Xuepian Lanhua Xiang
Baxian Supreme
Lanhua Xiang Dancong
Caolan Dancong
Baxian Dancong
All good?
Shiguping Wulong 2012...sold out!
Because of the extreme rarity of genuine quality of this variety, we have not been able to access any stock since our last. The farmer we bought from retired and the tiny quantity from the other few have been annually reserved. We are negotiating with them and hope to bring this tea back for you, hopefully next year.
That was 3 years ago and still no tea.
Annually reserved by whom?
Xuepian Lanhua Xiang
Baxian Supreme
Lanhua Xiang Dancong
Caolan Dancong
Baxian Dancong
All good?
Shiguping Wulong 2012...sold out!
Because of the extreme rarity of genuine quality of this variety, we have not been able to access any stock since our last. The farmer we bought from retired and the tiny quantity from the other few have been annually reserved. We are negotiating with them and hope to bring this tea back for you, hopefully next year.
That was 3 years ago and still no tea.
Annually reserved by whom?
Re: Dancong
AFAIK, none of their dancong are heavily roasted as in the tea that is described above as Tea Head. Lanhua Xiang is particularly nice but so is their Milan Xiang which is roasted, but not much. Just go for samples or small bags.bagua7 wrote:OK, so:
Xuepian Lanhua Xiang
Baxian Supreme
Lanhua Xiang Dancong
Caolan Dancong
Baxian Dancong
All good?
Shiguping Wulong 2012...sold out!
Because of the extreme rarity of genuine quality of this variety, we have not been able to access any stock since our last. The farmer we bought from retired and the tiny quantity from the other few have been annually reserved. We are negotiating with them and hope to bring this tea back for you, hopefully next year.
That was 3 years ago and still no tea.
Annually reserved by whom?
Re: Dancong
Thanks for letting me know but they don't seem to sell samples.
Edited: it's all good, I don't really care anymore and can't wait so three dan congs to the shopping basket.
Edited: it's all good, I don't really care anymore and can't wait so three dan congs to the shopping basket.
Re: Dancong
I tried the same Cha Tuo that Haddemall posted about. It was quite pleasant. In the first brew or two, it reminded me, as it did Haddemal, of yancha. Then, in later brews, more of hoji-cha. A very pleasant tea.
Re: Dancong
Well, I'm determined to sustain this topic so here's an interesting experiment...
I was reading kyarazen's blog posts about various brewing styles, and I came upon something interesting in the post about anxi-style brewing...
"The tea is steeped up to 9 times into 3 servings.
The 1st, 2nd, 3rd steepings combined aims to present strong fragrance
The 4th, 5th, 6th steepings aim to present increasing sweetness
The final 7th, 8th, and 9th steepings present the teas’ pure nature."
Well, today I was brewing a milan dancong from an eBay seller called Goshopstreet (a pretty good e-bay find IMO) and I was intrigued by this idea.
I tried it and the results were pretty eyebrow-raising, I thought the resulting cup was yummy and also quite distinct from the separate steeps that had created it.
I'm wondering if the difference in taste is not only due to the combination of different-tasting brews, but also to the fact that the drinking temperature was lower than I am typically accustomed to - I usually drink dancong when it's scalding hot, immediately after coming out of the teapot.
I was reading kyarazen's blog posts about various brewing styles, and I came upon something interesting in the post about anxi-style brewing...
"The tea is steeped up to 9 times into 3 servings.
The 1st, 2nd, 3rd steepings combined aims to present strong fragrance
The 4th, 5th, 6th steepings aim to present increasing sweetness
The final 7th, 8th, and 9th steepings present the teas’ pure nature."
Well, today I was brewing a milan dancong from an eBay seller called Goshopstreet (a pretty good e-bay find IMO) and I was intrigued by this idea.
I tried it and the results were pretty eyebrow-raising, I thought the resulting cup was yummy and also quite distinct from the separate steeps that had created it.
I'm wondering if the difference in taste is not only due to the combination of different-tasting brews, but also to the fact that the drinking temperature was lower than I am typically accustomed to - I usually drink dancong when it's scalding hot, immediately after coming out of the teapot.
Re: Dancong
The temperature can be really important, your taste buds are most sensitive when what you're eating/drinking is comfortably warm. If you're drinking your tea scalding hot you're missing out on some of the flavour.mganz42 wrote: I'm wondering if the difference in taste is not only due to the combination of different-tasting brews, but also to the fact that the drinking temperature was lower than I am typically accustomed to - I usually drink dancong when it's scalding hot, immediately after coming out of the teapot.
Also you're increasing your risk of oral and esophageal cancer...
Re: Dancong
Of course I don't mean scalding as in hot enough to burn you, just, you know, hot. I brew at 185 degrees and by the time the tea has made it out of the teapot and into the cups it's what I consider the perfect temperature. The combined three steeps was more like the temperature I would get from a green or white tea. It's probably about a ten degree difference between the two, I think.
I brew at 185 degrees and by the time the tea has made it out of the teapot and into the cups it's what I consider the perfect temperature. The combined three steeps was more like the temperature I would get from a green or white tea. It's probably about a ten degree difference between the two, I think.
Last edited by mganz42 on Feb 21st, '15, 14:13, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Dancong
hmm.. actually you brought up many points that i thought i would rather describe/discuss in a blog article than a forum post but nevertheless, what you had described is quite precisely one of the benefits of this brewing style.
this method is particularly good for assessing teas with good level of confidence, by combining 3 steeps into 1 serving, the error is reduced of course unless one is a super guru master that is extremely precise for every steep (whom probably can produce the same tasting/aromatic 7th steep for the same tea on separate days or months?!)
also if one samples every single steep after each other, the brain can be "fooled" by the gradual changes in each steep, albeit like a frog in a pot of water that has a little heater below it, eventually you have a cooked frog.
this is not as sharp a difference as comparing the first steep with the last steep.
not to say that this brewing method is the "best" or should be a formality to be carried out for every tea. it is good to know and an excellent way to reach conclusions about teas if one's at a point of considering larger purchase.
i have experimented with this brewing method on different teas and you can have rather clear observations i.e. clear smoke and sungreen note in 1st serving of a sheng pu-erh, light florals and fruits in the 2nd serving, 3rd serving weak and deflated etc..
1st serving of a heavy roasted oolong being roasty, nutty, sharp, 2nd serving with the full purplish florals, 3rd serving with a hollow deep darkness etc..
i dont steep all 3 servings at one go (9 steeps!) but instead steep 3x for 1 serving, sample/taste it, before proceeding with preparing the 2nd serving.
temperature that you had brought up is a very important point as well. i'm still studying it but once i've rationalized the available understandings with sufficient self experimentation i'll write about it.
there is variation in taste with temperature, science has not fully explained or understood these phenomena.
1) ice cold beer or very hot beer is not as bitter tasting as warm beer
2) cold or frozen sweet stuff is not as sweet tasting as molten warm liquid of the same sweet thing
3) carbonated drinks are not as sweet tasting when fizzy, but terribly sweet tasting when flat. (this is generally easy to explain due to the carbonation on the tongue's sensing)
there are several possibilities behind these
a) anything very cold may numb/dull the tongue receptors.. the kinetics of molecular binding can be slowed by decreasing temperatures causing the perception of a weaker taste. to compensate, cold food/icecreams and soft drinks tend to have increased sugar contents.
b) temperature affects the receptor structures (since they are mostly g-protein coupled receptors) that cannot escape the laws of thermodynamics. the signals transduced can vary
c) the location of the tasting regions in the mouth and the temporal sequence of sensory response in regulating our perception on a drink's property. if a drink is steaming hot it is lightly sipped and the first point of contact tends to the front of the tongue, where the sweeter receptors are. one seldom burns the innermost/middle rear of the tongue regions..
but if a drink is warm, it can be quickly sipped with the tea having a higher chance to encounter the bitter tasting patches that are located further inside. i have personally observed that the same brew of tea, when sipped hot was quite nice, mild bitterness, lively, some sweetness, but when it cooled to room temperature, the bitterness was sharper and more forward tasting than when it was hot. it may be possible that the first "taste" sensation that is recognized is perceived to be dominant.
the optimum for drinking seems to be 50-60 degress for some teas. above that or below that the profiles seem to be a bit different. this can be achieved through selected dispensing methods, height of dispensing, type of cups/wall thickness, shape of cup etc.
hope the explanation clears things up for you a little and also may inspire you to try more experiments so that we can reach better conclusions!
this method is particularly good for assessing teas with good level of confidence, by combining 3 steeps into 1 serving, the error is reduced of course unless one is a super guru master that is extremely precise for every steep (whom probably can produce the same tasting/aromatic 7th steep for the same tea on separate days or months?!)
also if one samples every single steep after each other, the brain can be "fooled" by the gradual changes in each steep, albeit like a frog in a pot of water that has a little heater below it, eventually you have a cooked frog.
this is not as sharp a difference as comparing the first steep with the last steep.
not to say that this brewing method is the "best" or should be a formality to be carried out for every tea. it is good to know and an excellent way to reach conclusions about teas if one's at a point of considering larger purchase.
i have experimented with this brewing method on different teas and you can have rather clear observations i.e. clear smoke and sungreen note in 1st serving of a sheng pu-erh, light florals and fruits in the 2nd serving, 3rd serving weak and deflated etc..
1st serving of a heavy roasted oolong being roasty, nutty, sharp, 2nd serving with the full purplish florals, 3rd serving with a hollow deep darkness etc..
i dont steep all 3 servings at one go (9 steeps!) but instead steep 3x for 1 serving, sample/taste it, before proceeding with preparing the 2nd serving.
temperature that you had brought up is a very important point as well. i'm still studying it but once i've rationalized the available understandings with sufficient self experimentation i'll write about it.
there is variation in taste with temperature, science has not fully explained or understood these phenomena.
1) ice cold beer or very hot beer is not as bitter tasting as warm beer
2) cold or frozen sweet stuff is not as sweet tasting as molten warm liquid of the same sweet thing
3) carbonated drinks are not as sweet tasting when fizzy, but terribly sweet tasting when flat. (this is generally easy to explain due to the carbonation on the tongue's sensing)
there are several possibilities behind these
a) anything very cold may numb/dull the tongue receptors.. the kinetics of molecular binding can be slowed by decreasing temperatures causing the perception of a weaker taste. to compensate, cold food/icecreams and soft drinks tend to have increased sugar contents.
b) temperature affects the receptor structures (since they are mostly g-protein coupled receptors) that cannot escape the laws of thermodynamics. the signals transduced can vary
c) the location of the tasting regions in the mouth and the temporal sequence of sensory response in regulating our perception on a drink's property. if a drink is steaming hot it is lightly sipped and the first point of contact tends to the front of the tongue, where the sweeter receptors are. one seldom burns the innermost/middle rear of the tongue regions..
but if a drink is warm, it can be quickly sipped with the tea having a higher chance to encounter the bitter tasting patches that are located further inside. i have personally observed that the same brew of tea, when sipped hot was quite nice, mild bitterness, lively, some sweetness, but when it cooled to room temperature, the bitterness was sharper and more forward tasting than when it was hot. it may be possible that the first "taste" sensation that is recognized is perceived to be dominant.
the optimum for drinking seems to be 50-60 degress for some teas. above that or below that the profiles seem to be a bit different. this can be achieved through selected dispensing methods, height of dispensing, type of cups/wall thickness, shape of cup etc.
hope the explanation clears things up for you a little and also may inspire you to try more experiments so that we can reach better conclusions!
mganz42 wrote:Well, I'm determined to sustain this topic so here's an interesting experiment...
I was reading kyarazen's blog posts about various brewing styles, and I came upon something interesting in the post about anxi-style brewing...
"The tea is steeped up to 9 times into 3 servings.
The 1st, 2nd, 3rd steepings combined aims to present strong fragrance
The 4th, 5th, 6th steepings aim to present increasing sweetness
The final 7th, 8th, and 9th steepings present the teas’ pure nature."
Well, today I was brewing a milan dancong from an eBay seller called Goshopstreet (a pretty good e-bay find IMO) and I was intrigued by this idea.
I tried it and the results were pretty eyebrow-raising, I thought the resulting cup was yummy and also quite distinct from the separate steeps that had created it.
I'm wondering if the difference in taste is not only due to the combination of different-tasting brews, but also to the fact that the drinking temperature was lower than I am typically accustomed to - I usually drink dancong when it's scalding hot, immediately after coming out of the teapot.
Re: Dancong
I think this part seems particularly relevant for dancong. The way I learned to brew dancong, I was told that it is best to drink the tea quite hot. Perhaps this, in a way, rationalizes the omission of the cha hai - the tea is hotter when you drink it because you pour directly from the teapot into the cups. Maybe drinking dancong as hot as possible allows the drinker to bypass some of the bitterness of the tea.kyarazen wrote: c) the location of the tasting regions in the mouth and the temporal sequence of sensory response in regulating our perception on a drink's property. if a drink is steaming hot it is lightly sipped and the first point of contact tends to the front of the tongue, where the sweeter receptors are. one seldom burns the innermost/middle rear of the tongue regions..
but if a drink is warm, it can be quickly sipped with the tea having a higher chance to encounter the bitter tasting patches that are located further inside. i have personally observed that the same brew of tea, when sipped hot was quite nice, mild bitterness, lively, some sweetness, but when it cooled to room temperature, the bitterness was sharper and more forward tasting than when it was hot. it may be possible that the first "taste" sensation that is recognized is perceived to be dominant.
Feb 21st, '15, 14:30
Posts: 5896
Joined: Jan 10th, '10, 16:04
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Contact:
debunix
Re: Dancong
An alternative approach to get to the same place, that I often use for convenience when I need to be away from the teapot during a session, is to brew individual steeps longer--too long, deliberately--and then dilute them to taste with a mix of cool water from my Yusamashi and more hot water from the kettle. This way I get a larger volume of tea that is more portable than a full-on gongfu session, and I can drink that larger volume of tea more quickly because it's cooler--key to avoiding the often unpleasant effects of oxidation on tea that has been sitting for a while, such as might happen while steeps are accumulating to be drunk together. The time from out of pot to drinking is no longer than with regular gongfu steeps, but the experience of the tea is smoothed out.
I am now enjoying the last of a very nice batch of Song Zhong from Norbu brewed this way, from my little Chao Zhou pot. It's wonderfully floral, and the bitter notes are kept to the background, providing a solid depth to the tea without making it unpleasant.
And slipped by another response--I do feel like the quick sips of very hot tea, when drinking Dan Cong and sheng puerh--avoid some of the bitterness in 2 ways
(1) more fragrance than taste because the heat overwhelms the taste buds a bit but not the scent receptors;
(2) avoids the cool-down period that permits additional oxidation and adds to the bitterness of the tea.
I am now enjoying the last of a very nice batch of Song Zhong from Norbu brewed this way, from my little Chao Zhou pot. It's wonderfully floral, and the bitter notes are kept to the background, providing a solid depth to the tea without making it unpleasant.
And slipped by another response--I do feel like the quick sips of very hot tea, when drinking Dan Cong and sheng puerh--avoid some of the bitterness in 2 ways
(1) more fragrance than taste because the heat overwhelms the taste buds a bit but not the scent receptors;
(2) avoids the cool-down period that permits additional oxidation and adds to the bitterness of the tea.